Mouton Rothschild 2020

The 2020 Mouton Rothschild is a striking wine and one that I regretted not purchasing en primeur as soon as it landed in my glass. Offering up complex aromas of minty cassis, pencil shavings, loamy soil, cigar wrapper, espresso roast and violets, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and layered, with terrific concentrated, beautifully refined tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Checking in at 12.8% alcohol, its incipient complexity, ineffable sense of completeness and exquisite balance mark it out as the purists' choice among the trio of 2018, 2019 and 2020. In this vintage, the lots that made it into the blend were largely confined to the core gravel terroirs that represent Mouton's heart, meaning that there's a little less to go around. This was the first vintage overseen by Mouton's new technical director, Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, and he has begun with a flying start. 2030 - 2070

The purity of blackcurrants, blueberries, creme de cassis, and flowers. Hints of subtle spearmint. Iron. Blood orange. Medium-bodied with a compacted palate, like a cylinder of perfectly ripe fruit and fine tannins. A million layers of tight-grained tannins. It goes on and on. Such freshness and weightlessness to it. Ethereal. New classicism. Modern take on the 1986. 12.79% alcohol. 84% cabernet sauvignon, 13% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Drink after 2030 but hard to not drink now.

Dark fruits on the nose, blackcurrants and cherries with savoury nuances of dark chocolate and tobacco. Fresh and forward on the palate, this hits you square on, still very lean and direct, almost piercing and severe in its intensity and drive, though wonderfully precise: it’s like an arrow. Serious and focussed yet full and layered, the texture is lovely, a slight graininess that lingers but it’s the acidity and the fruit purity that are so excellent - they give such a sense of vibrancy and make this wine so thrilling. You get a feeling of pent-up energy, but after a few minutes the slight density of the ripe fruit comes through, giving some plushness and weight. I love the Cabernet details and the mineral element that leaves the mouth cool and fresh. A well constructed, subtle beauty.

Composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Mouton Rothschild is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs considerable coaxing to unlock notes of crushed blackcurrants, fresh blackberries, spiced plums, and raspberry coulis, leading to wafts of clove oil, sandalwood, and mossy tree bark. The medium-bodied palate has compelling poise, with silken tannins and seamless freshness to frame the delicate red and black fruit layers, finishing long and minerally. This is a wonderfully graceful expression of Mouton.

Intense, concentrated, powerful, deeply spiced, fleshy but restrained, this inches open and feels vibrant, pure, chiselled, seamless, with an electric charge. Expect plenty of smoked and grilled cassis, bilberry and damson fruits, sandalwood and mint leaf. Has the 2020 signature where flavours are classically serious and balanced but intense, just a monumental Mouton with the freshness and architecture of 2016, edged with floral aromatics, wonderfully enticing and with presence. 100% new oak. First vintage for Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy as director, following Philippe Dhalluin's retirement. One of the wines of the vintage.

The 2020 is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The harvest was completed on the 24th September, which for reference was the same day their 2009 harvest began! Production is down 38% on last year, so expect a significant drop in availability. The abv is 13.1%. Deep ruby-purple in the glass with a highly perfumed nose of violet, incense, exotic spices and the classic undertone of cassis. The palate is dense yet vertical, a linear drive of black fruit offering real depth. Everything is well-measured and held in place by chalky, rich tannic structure. Flecks of sweet spices and toast round out the mid palate which is grippy and full. The brambly fruit core drives to the finish, which is very persistent.

84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. First vintage with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy (formerly winemaker at Clerc Milon) at the helm. Cask sample.
Characteristic Mouton with its aromatic complexity and lift. Cassis, spice, chocolate and graphite notes to the fore. Lovely density of fruit. Powerfully structured with very fine tannins. A sense of verticality as it builds on the palate. Textured, clean and fresh. Clearly has more to give. (JL) 13.1%
Drink 2030 – 2055

(84% CS, 13% M, 2% CF, 1% PV; 13.1% ABV)
A slightly burned / cedary / high-toast cask character to smell here, too (the Mouton “fumée,” from the soil, not the barrels), dense and persistent and fine; rich, elegant, medium-full proportions and presence, so freshly defined by its acidity, and with such fine-textured tannins; an undemostrative but most aristocratic presence; deep, taut, blackcurrant-sweet, long and juicy, so tenacious and subtle to taste, and with fabulously close-grained tannins, subtly mouthcoating and very prolonged to finish. A wonderfully complete and absolutely lovely wine, which will be an intense yet effortless drinking joy at a mere 13% ABV. A very special combination, in the current climate, of moderate alcohol, intensity of flavor, and absolute class. A sort of splendid classicism. Wait a good ten years plus, and then probably think generations rather than decades? 2034–70+.